


Hidden in Maple

by Estrea



Category: Morning Musume.
Genre: Feudal Japan, Gen, Ronin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 22:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1619072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrea/pseuds/Estrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wandering ronin Ikuta Erina was just trying to make a living. She never asked for this!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hidden in Maple

A long shadow fell over the bruised face of a battered thug, who squinted through a barely open slit of his swollen eye, flinching away at the outline. Or well, as best as he could, with a sandaled foot placed on his chest.

"Oi, you alive?"

Uneasy squirming, but that was answer enough in itself. The unknown warrior grunted, lifting the foot crushing the man's chest and turning to look at the rest of the clearing.

It was a scene of carnage, if somewhat lacking in blood. Men in rough clothing lay in crumpled heaps, the tools of their villainous trade shattered scraps of metal. Most had been badly beaten, but no skin was actually broken, the only blood coming from broken noses or teeth. The only one still conscious was the poor sod this passing warrior had stepped on earlier, but as far as she could determine, none of the bandits were actually dead. Broken bones and rearranged features, certainly, but no fatalities thus far.

"And so the Swordless Wanderer strikes again eh?"

The warrior looked up, both hands slung casually over the daito resting against the back of her neck. As a girl, she could not be officially recognized as a samurai, but in these troubled times there was always work for a good hand with a sword, and Ikuta Erina was no slouch with the long blade she carried. To be honest, she was probably even stronger than the average samurai, since her daito was longer and gave her more reach over a regular katana. And if they ever got within her striking range...

The twin wakizashi at her waist would account for themselves. She usually used them for indoor combat since swinging around a long blade was inconvenient in closed areas, but she could wield daito and wakizashi in each hand if it came to that. The rippling muscles in her biceps were a mute statement of her dedication to arms. Tiny light scarring could be seen on her arms and hands, the mark of an experienced warrior who had yet to suffer serious injury in real combat, and whose mistakes were small and infrequent.

The only deep scar on her was covered partially by headband and fringe, physical reminder of a flung dagger that narrowly missed her eye and gouged a fair path past temple and beyond. Half blinded by blood and pain, Erina was glad she had managed to cut down the last man attacking her before passing out. It was a blessing the blade hadn't been poisoned, or she wouldn't be here now. As a reminder of that incident, she had shorn off her long locks and tied a thin strip of cloth around her forehead to keep her fringe out of her eyes. The result was a vaguely masculine, even dashing appearance, a fact Erina was not shy to take advantage of when the occasion arose. Loveable rogues scored better deals with young ladies, and sometimes, not so young ladies. As a wandering mercenary, saving on coin was always a wise choice whenever possible.

And now, her assignment had been completed by this vexing Swordless menace. The local lord had tasked her to rid the woods of the marauding bandits, and she had tracked them for days, only to find that someone had beaten her to the punch. It wasn't even that this mystery warrior was trying to steal her business, since whoever they were, they had only beaten up the bandits and nothing else. 

Well, almost nothing else. A quick rummage around the crude campsite revealed that neither coin nor food were left, and there was even a smouldering flame in the firepit when she had first arrived. It was as if the mystery person had come, beat everyone up, took their rations, cooked and eaten, then left with the money plundered...right before Erina had stumbled in on the scene. 

It was almost vexing to see how casual this mystery warrior was about the whole thing. Erina had heard talk of the Swordless Wanderer before, but had dismissed it as idle chatter...until now. Seemed like there really was a wandering warrior out there capable of beating up on a dozen bandits without drawing a sword.

It was almost insulting to Erina's professional pride, but she swallowed the instinctive indignation and squared her shoulders instead. She might not have had to draw her daito today, but the day would still see blood yet. The lord had demanded proof of the bandits being eliminated, and Erina always finished her jobs.

"Well, whoever you are Swordless, you sure made things easier for me today. I'll buy a beer and drink a toast to ya after I get paid for this!"

Whistling a cheery tune, Erina put down her daito and drew the little knife tucked at her waist instead. A little blade for a little task...

The men weren't smiling when it was over, but a grisly grin yawned wide across every throat, and Erina hummed to herself as she heaved the bloody pack of severed ears that would serve as proof for payment.

Just another day in the war torn fiefdoms. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to survive, after all.


End file.
